Sew, Knit and Natter Friday!

I tried drafting this yesterday, but I was too tired, and managed to both publish and delete it entirely in a space of seconds, oh dear! Let’s try again.

It’s been a strange week, and I have been tired. I did a longer shift at the library than usual, and promptly fell asleep for two hours afterwards, which then meant that I slept poorly that night, which meant I was tired the next day and so on and so forth. We have an exciting night ahead of us tonight, so I am hoping I improve during the day. More on that next week.

Meantime the plans for the Repair Cafe are going well. Insurance is sorted and posters are going up. We went to see the hall we will be using yesterday.

The Moorside Room at Kirkbymoorside is slightly smaller than we expected, but it will be good for the first one and we shall see after that. Inside it’s quite swish.

There are four big tables which we shall make into four areas including sewing and computer repairs.

A little kitchen area so we can provide teas, coffee and cake for people while they wait. Now we just need to hope lots of people need help with their repairs.

I sadly annoyed a fellow blogger recently with a comment, turns out she wasn’t really up for a discussion at all. I decided that it would be my last comment on her blog when she got a bit unpleasant, her final comment dismissing my opinion, was that I am only a blogger who mostly writes about the knitting she does for her grandchildren.  Too True, a label I wear with pride! Next to being a Mum being a Nana is the best thing I have become, and I feel very blessed in that.

As a Mum I only had one friend who knitted, Julie, who taught me to crochet too. In the 70s and 80s it just wasn’t cool to knit, unless you were Kaffe Fawcett I guess.  So when I came back to knitting 10 years ago it was wonderful to discover that Knitting was back in vogue, and when I found blogging, to find a whole community of crafters was just wonderful.

So yes I will continue to blog about the knitting I do for my grandchildren! But I will be more careful on which blogs I leave a comment on.

The little blue cardigan is finished and awaits buttons, I’ll show you next week.

Meantime here is the back of a hooded jacket I started.

Yes it has blue and pink. It’s not only the John Lewis Partnership who can be gender neutral with their baby clothes! This first size will be the only one I get away with as far as the Dad is concerned.

Of course back in the day before we knew whether baby was a boy or a girl all baby clothes were gender neutral, pale lemon, purple, green, white or cream, although we did have a vivid orange babygro.

I wonder how long before all clothes are just clothes, do we need men’s suits and women’s suits for example, could we just have suits?

No, now I am being just ridiculous, not an unknown state of affairs round here.

Remember the Cath Kiidston sale recently, not the fabric one, there was one before that. I bought something and decided I then had the perfect project for the cowboy fabric, which in turn I replaced because I liked it so, well here’s what I made to go with my purchase.

Is that not cute and the place mat is ok too.

Actually its far from ok, the quilting is diabolical and the binding pretty dreadful, but oh its made with love.

So that’s it for this week, over to you for some nattering, what are you planning this weekend, any nice outings or projects? Did you ever leave what turned out to be an ill advised comment?

Do tell,

Meantime be happy!

 

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Sew, Knit and Natter Friday!

How is everyone? Apparently it’s the first day of Autumn if you are a weather person. Personally its late Summer as far as I am concerned.

So big question, did I or did I not buy some Cath Kidston fabric. YES I DID. Well you knew I would.

8 fat quarters for £12, which I thought was ok. See the cowboy fabric in the middle. As it happens I had a remnant of that already ,bought from somewhere or other some time ago, and looking for a project. Well it found one, I have it all cut out and ready to go, but then found myself feeling sad because I had used it. I mean just how ridiculous is that? I think I mentioned before that I have a propensity for being ridiculous. So that is why when I choose which CK fabric to buy, this was the bundle. IT HAD MY NAME ON IT!

Meantime I have been busy with some owl fabric.

Which is now a pouch for baby wipes. Owl buttons and ribbons from my stash. I mean you can’t have too many owls in one project , can you? Can You? Have I gone OTT on owls? Feel quite pleased with this, never having made a pouch before.

Knitting wise, I am making great progress with the baby blue cardigan.

A back and two fronts resting on the cowboy project. I still don’t have a picture of Little Miss F in her skirt, maybe it doesn’t fit, but I do have two of my little darlings to show you , and the children are quite nice too..

On holiday in Devon, picture by my DIL Mrs T!

And just to round off, here’s the Sunset over the hill at the front of our house, I wonder can you see the sheep?

Just about spot one under the tree to the right by the telegraph pole above the hedge. I do make you work..

And just because this is so cute

Little Miss F’s idea of heaven, Mum and a unicorn, don’t believe me, look at her little face.

Pictures by her other Nana, taken at a garden centre at Lacock.

Hope you have a great weekend full of the things you love doing.

Be Happy!

Sew, Knit and Natter Friday.

Change is in the air, have you noticed it? There is a little nip in the air in the mornings, its late Summer now for sure. Never mind, more time inside for sewing, knitting and nattering.

I have filled my little sewing caddy now with all the items you suggested. Actually that is a fib, I have still to find some fabric suitable for patching. The Snail mentioned something called Boro mending. I am so hoping someone comes to the repair cafe so I can do some. Is ripping a hole in something wrong in order to try it. I spent ages last weekend reading up on the technique. I just did plain boring patching before. I was wondering about threads to use? I have lots of cotton perle thread.

In the end I hand stitched the piping cord on my UFO, the zipper foot I have, would not have got close enough for my liking. After that it was just a question of turning it right side out,  joining the gap and adding tassels.

One Christmas mantlepiece cover completed. For nearly 16 years it lurked in the sewing box. Sadly we moved house (which is why I never finished it) and the wood burning stove we have in our current home makes the mantle cover unsuitable for this cover. But it looks ok as a sofa back, well it will after a good press.

I borrowed a book from the library.

It’s a jolly good book. I have plans for at least two projects, here’s the first one just getting under way. The other involves the lovely cowboy fabric from Cath Kidston.

Master T’s jumper complete. I love the buttons. Hope this one meets his brief of another jumper in bright colours.

So now onto a little something for a baby.

It’s a very pale blue 4 ply Sirdar Snuggly yarn. Half the back done.

So many plans for projects, so many waiting to be started, so many UFOs and WIPs, maybe a good thing that Autumn is coming.

Meantime does anyone know if Cath Kidston is stopping doing fabric completely. There is virtually nothing on their web page. I was  wondering would the prudent craftist snap it up while she could/

What do you think? Do I need more fabric?

 

Sew, Knit and Natter Friday!

Is it just me , or are weeks getting shorter? Here we are again and it’s Friday and time for a good old natter. I am going to be busy today, well busy for a retired person anyway. I have to collect my new glasses this morning, and sadly this afternoon I am attending a funeral. Is it a sign of getting older that you start to attend more funerals than weddings? This is for the father of my best friend Ms J who I have occasionally mentioned in these posts. He was known to my brother and I as Uncle John. He was a school teacher and I think there will be a “good turn out” for him. Sad days as the older generation passes. Soon I will be the older generation, but at the moment am just reaching middle age!!!!

Enough, happier topics. Last week we managed to visit a local agricultural show, this one in the village of Thornton le Dale, which we have visited many times in my blog. Today being S,K and N day we will visit my favourite tent, the craft tent. Remember the days when the WI had a tent of their own, now they have a few tables in the main tent. Here’s what caught my eye.

Look at the big crochet basket , and the lovely mandala.

f

I love this bag, a deserved winner for whatever class it was. There were just numbers shown, and no written name. Also I was disappointed that the judges had left no comments. Back in the day they did..

And this lovely embroidery which gained a second placement. I love it.

Outside

These old bodgers at work! If you enjoyed this part of the post I have more pictures from the show, so the old tour bus will be heading there on Sunday, if you fancy a trip. Mr Hicks and Gibbs there is a picture just for you two.

We had a meeting to get the Repair Cafe up and running and we have a scheduled date for late September, if we get the insurance sorted. Growl, why do good plans always come up with H&S and “what if someone sues us”. I don’t know.

Anyway I thought I better start to think what to take with me and how to get it there. Now I have a sewing box/caddy which I used to use when we lived in Oxfordshire and I went to dress making classes. It was full of a project that I had half done before we moved and has languished there ever since. That would be 15 1/2 years! I have taken it out, and the question is apart from buttons and threads, what do you think I should take along with me to aid repair volunteering?

Meantime I had a look at the UFO and decided the best thing to do was finish it off.

Quite impressed with the fleur de lys. Anyway you can just about see the piping cord in the picture. I have now sewn it to the front on the fabric with I must say a huge amount of difficulty on the sewing machine. Seems I should be using something called a piping foot? I haven’t got one. Reluctantly I am concluding the only way to enclose it in the back is hand stitching. What do you reckon?

I am going to finish this!

Meet Bertram Elephant!  I love him. I do like making elephants. The fabric has been sitting on the guest bed for weeks whilst I did that skirt. Give me a piece of scrap fabric and I am as happy as Larry, give me a piece of fabric I love and paid good money for, like the mountains fabric which should have been used on the skirt and I have months of terror before I pluck up courage to use it. A lesson there somewhere.

The other thing I have found is that rather than spend hours tormenting myself with luscious pictures and fighting the urge to buy stuff I am far more content and yes excited to fish out a project I have planned and to do it. Another lesson learned, maybe..

Master T’s jumper, we have a back, a front and 1 1/2 sleeves. Maybe next week a complete jumper?

And a little bit of cross stitch too

Any guesses what it is?

So that’s me, over to you now. How are you all? Do you like an agricultural show? Any ideas on what I need to put in my repairing caddy, chances are I have everything? And what about the piping cord, hand sewing do you reckon?

I hope you have a fabulous weekend full of yarn and fabric. Tell me all about it please.

Be Happy!

C x

 

Scrap Happy August

I got the hexie quilt out again this week as I finally had some new scraps to be able to use. You can see the blue floral with the large flower from the wedding bunting left over fabric.

Now don’t think I don’t have lots of fabric stashed away because I do, it’s just that they are large enough pieces for me to think I could do something with them.. the ones for the hexie quilt are pretty small pieces. I may just have to give myself a good talking too and start to use these larger pieces, I mean just what am I saving them for?

Meantime I have started another elephant from one of the bigger pieces. He should be finished this week, and of course I now have some smaller pieces for more hexies.

Sometimes I think I am ridiculous!

Joining with Kate and others for some scrappy happiness.

 

Sew, Bake,Knit and Natter Friday!

Coming down slowly from the Wedding and from a week away in Sussex. Can’t believe how much extra sleep I have required this week. Must be getting old.

Anyway lots to catch up with. Little Miss F got cold whilst we were in Oxfordshire setting up the reception. As it just so happened I had given her Mum the pink jumper I had knitted for her, so it got its first outing in July.

Bit big, but there we are. Her hair is in plaits so she could have Mermaid hair at the wedding.

Anyway wedding over and we went down to Sussex to visit some old haunts. I was interested to visit the museum in Horsham where I had once been a volunteer in the late 1970s.

My role was to lurk upstairs and make sure no visitors mis-behaved. I explained this to the lady on the desk, she thought lurking a good task, but not required anymore. Replaced by CCTV! Well really!

I was most intrigued by a display of gingerbread moulds, which in my excitement I didn’t photo.  It transpires that thanks to the poet Shelley there is such a thing as Horsham Gingerbread. Being flushed with success from making gingerbread for my grand children I was most interested. So I sampled some they just so happened to have in the shop. The texture is completely different to modern-day gingerbread as it contains oats. Oats? Anyway I am now going to try out as many gingerbread recipes as I can lay my hands on. I still don’t really know why they used moulds and not cutters. How did they get them out of the moulds? I have only tried to get jelly out of a mould and let’s say it wasn’t exactly a triumph in the cooking department.

However, I did take some pictures which you might enjoy.

Little sewing display with Singer Sewing Machine and

would you look at the Swan pin cushion. I think it a bit sad that it sits in a display cabinet when someone, me for example, could be using it.

And a fire screen to stop the ladies having red faces.

I loved the embroidery.

More from Sussex next time. Back home it was time to tackle my nemeses otherwise known as scary zip, now to be renamed as Much Ado about Nothing! I watched some You Tube  videos.

Sat myself in front of the sewing machine. Had a stern talking to myself in which I reminded myself that zips were not rocket science, deep breath and 5 minutes later, just what was all the fuss about?

Not too shabby for only the second zip I have sewn ever, and the first 49 years ago.

So just a waist band and a hem and then job done. I think I probably took the instruction to sew close to the teeth a bit too literally, but it goes up and down, what more do I want.

I decided to make my next knitting project the bright coloured jumper for Master T. The front is done.

I think this one might be bright enough and will fit him this Winter.

Plans for next week include, doing the back of the jumper, finishing the skirt and maybe a little cross stitch. There is a slight hurdle. I need a hook and eye for the waist band. As it happens I have an eye test later this morning, so will be near a shop that sells hooks and eyes, and yarn and fabric and all manner of crafty goodies. I MUST be Strong, and buy  no more yarn!

So over to you, do you have a special gingerbread recipe,ideas for how you get it out of moulds? What are your weekend plans? How do you resist the pull of yarn/fabric?

Be Happy!

Cathyx

 

 

Sew , Knit, and Natter Friday!

Ok so did I keep to my yarn diet? Answer later on!

Meantime some more lovelies from Greece. In this case from the Ethnographical museum in the mosque of Aslan Pasha

Some silver ware with pineapples, which I was on the look out for following the post by Wild Daffodil on pineapple bunting.

Personally I prefer these chickens!

These knitted socks are worn by men.

And these,  just look at the patterns.

This a traditional costume for ladies.

I love this embroidered detail. And finally

A little loom, with pineapples! Or maybe fir cones? So did I keep to the yarn diet and if not how long did it last?

I had some problems this week. Finally I girded my loins and decided to tackle the skirt for Little Miss F, the one with the zip you know.. Unpacked the pattern, looked at it with horror. Not side seams as I had assumed but ones up the front and down the back. How on earth was I going to make the pattern match on my fabric?

After much head scratching and thinking, as I have said before sometimes Nanas do think, only this one, not very well. I decided I could do away with the centre seam with some jiggery pokery and cutting on a fold. I looked and looked at where I had pinned the pattern. The design went beautifully down in a straight line. Now please bear in mind I really don’t know what I am doing and the clever seamstresses will now be laughing I think. I found my school reports amongst Mum’s treasure this week. Needlework it read, term after term for 4 years, that’s 12 reports by the way,  ” Catherine tries hard”!

The problem is that by the time the fabric gets round the back the mountains and skiers are going sideways!

DOH!  I now have fabric and no pattern , and a pattern with no suitable fabric. I do need a pattern with side seams for this fabric. Onto the web. Not one site I looked at stated whether the pattern had side or centre seams.  I would have to go to a shop and unpack the pattern to look.

But I was all fired up, loins girded and all that. Maybe I could find some fabric to go with the pattern. So much fabric to look at on line and so much that would end up going sideways at the back. BUT eventually I found some with flamingoes going in all directions. The story will continue…

The knitting has been going well.

Now on the front section of the tank top for Master T. I began to look forward to knitting the bright coloured jumper he had asked for and for which I bought yarn last week. I got the pattern out. DOH! I had under bought the yarn. Undeterred I went to the LYS to look for more, now this was not the shop I had bought the yarn from last week, that is 25 miles away in York. And no the LYS didn’t have the same colour, but they did have lots of others and one I hadn’t used before which was lovely and bright, and of course if I couldn’t get one more ball I could always knit the yarn for someone else. So did I succumb to temptation?

OF COURSE I DID! How long did the yarn diet last….

22 HOURS!

I have started the yarn diet again and please to say it has now lasted 6 days. Did you guess right? Can I keep it up?  All thoughts on the above two dilemmas are very welcome. I do love a good natter.

Have a great weekend, and Be Happy!